A 'positively' new blog title

Wow! Has it really been almost three months since I last posted? What an insane three months it's been. Summer 2014 will definitely go down as one of the busiest/craziest/most wonderful times of my life. A lot has happened, including the big 2-3 and with it, (well, two months later) a new blog title. I felt that I could not lie to my dedicated readers (hi, mom and Matt) by continuing to call my blog "Twenty Two in St. Lou" when I most certainly was not 22 anymore. 

So... welcome to "Positively Katie"! Why "Positively Katie"? Well, Ive always prided myself on being a positive person. Positivity is always one of my answers when someone asks me what my strengths are (a more appropriate answer than tequila-shot-taker, Netflix marathoner or overly-obsessed-dogowner). It's also something I genuinely try to incorporate in my everyday life. Yea, life is hard sometimes. You work long hours at work and sometimes feel under-appreciated, but at least you have a job. It's raining the day you have tickets to the baseball game, but at least it's not 100 degrees. Am I right? To me, having a positive outlook makes all the difference in life, and it's something that I'd love to encourage and share with others. So, as my inaugural post as the author of "Positively Katie," I'm going to share a few things I've been struggling with lately and why, in spite of those things, I'm still doing pretty darn good.

For the first time in my life, I'm really struggling with money. I've had a job since the day I turned 16, so I've always been able to go out to eat, buy drinks and indulge my love of clothes. But, in the past nine months, I've added a car payment, student loans and an apartment to my list of expenses. And you know what, it sucks! I still go out to eat and drink and shop, but on a much more limited budget. I'm learning the difference between 'need' and 'want.' I want a J. Crew down vest in every color. I need food and gas.

I've been trying for so long to lose weight but can't seem to get anywhere. I've always struggled a bit with body image and have tried multiple times to lose weight and look better but I just love pizza and beer and tacos and cheese way too much. I'm probably in the best shape of my life. I started running back in March in an effort to lose weight. I didn't expect to stick with it for very long. But now, in FIVE WEEKS I'm running my first half marathon. Six months ago  I could barely run a mile and today I ran ten for the very first time. I'm amazing myself every week when I add miles to my long runs and I could not be prouder of my progress.

I've been plagued with migraines most of the summer. Have you ever had a migraine? No? You're so lucky! With the busy-ness of the summer and the stress of moving and adjusting to a new routine and a crazy work load, I've gotten five migraines this summer and each has sent me home from work and straight to bed. They're literally a huge pain and anticipating when you'll have one next is so annoying. I'm learning to listen to my body. The interesting thing about migraines is the amount of things that can trigger one. My triggers might be stress, too much caffeine or strange smells. In an effort to avoid a migraine, I've started paying attention to how stressed I am, what I'm eating, how much water I'm drinking and, overall, how I'm feeling. I think being able to listen to your body is so important and I'm glad I've been forced to acquire that skill.

Overall, life has been wonderful. I'm kicking butt at work, loving my very first apartment and have been having so many fun times with Matt lately. It's been such a pleasure having him home full time. Sure, I have some struggles. Everyone does, but I don't let them take over my life. I'm so lucky to have all that I have and that far outweighs any struggle that could get in my way.